EPA awards $23M to start cleanup of Ley Creek portion of Onondaga Lake superfund site

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award about $23 million to begin cleanup of the Ley Creek portion of the Onondaga Lake superfund site.

The money comes from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced on Tuesday.

The overall project will include excavating, disposing of, and backfilling about 144,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the floodplains and excavating and disposing of about 9,600 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the bottom of Ley Creek. Thisfunding will pay for about $23 million worth of cleanup work to begin remedial action as the EPA “continues to engage with responsible parties to hold polluters of the site accountable,” Schumer’s office said in the announcement.

“I want to thank New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, the EPA and all those involved for delivering the funding to advance this important cleanup initiative. This issue has languished for decades and proper removal of PCBs from soil and sediments from the GM site and Ley Creek streambed is long overdue,” Edward Michalenko, Ph.D., president of the Onondaga Environmental Institute, said. “The results will provide lasting environmental benefits for the entire Onondaga Lake watershed including fish and wildlife, and critical health benefits for nearby residents, downstream neighbors, and local business.”

The Onondaga Lake Superfund Site includes the lake and seven other waterways, as well as several land-based sources of contamination. Industries around Onondaga Lake discharged pollutants and sewage into the lake for more than 100 years. 12 subsites have been created for the site, including the General Motors–Inland Fisher Guide subsite and the Ley Creek Deferred Media portion of the site, which includes a portion of Ley Creek and its floodplains.

Crews will use the Infrastructure Law funding to address soil on the floodplains and sediment in Ley Creek that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals.

“Our work is far from finished, but kick starting the cleanup of these long polluted sites and waterways is exactly what the Superfund funding I fought to supercharge in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was meant to do,” Schumer said in the announcement. “I am proud to deliver this federal funding so that cleanup for Central NY can finally get underway and vow to continue to fight for the resources needed to protect our beautiful Central New York waterways.”